Request for Proposals Branding Services
Contents Introduction... 2 Background on WECC... 2 Background on the WECC Brand... 3 Scope of Work... 3 Proposal Requirements... 3 Proposal Evaluation... 4 Contract Terms... 4 Anticipated Schedule... 5 March 20, 2017 Page 1
Request for Proposals for Branding Services Proposal Deadline: 4:00 p.m. CDT, Monday, April 24, 2017 The Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation (WECC) a nonprofit organization, requests proposals for Branding Services to be completed and delivered electronically to WECC by 4:00 p.m. CDT on Monday, April 24, 2017. Please provide notice of your intention to submit a proposal by 4:00 p.m. CDT on Monday, March 27, 2017. Questions regarding this request for proposals (RFP) should be directed to proposals@weccusa.org no later than April 3, 2017. Responses to all questions will be posted to the WECC website (www.weccusa.org) no later than April 7, 2017. Electronic submissions of the proposals are preferred and should be submitted to proposals@weccusa.org with Proposal for Branding Services in the subject line. WECC has a file size limit of 10M for attachments. Please keep this in mind when submitting your proposal. Introduction WECC requests proposals to provide branding services. The selected organization will be asked to work in close collaboration with and in support of WECC s corporate communications in the development of the WECC brand. As a nonprofit organization, WECC has a limited budget for this project. The proposed contract period for services is June 1, 2017, through October 1, 2017. The budget for this project should not exceed $50,000. Background on WECC WECC was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in 1980, with the mission to champion and deliver innovative energy efficiency initiatives that produce enduring economic and environmental benefits for all. In our inaugural year of business, WECC won a multi-year contract from the United States Department of Labor to conduct a national energy demonstration project, and our passion, innovation, and experience have grown continuously. Our Board of Directors is made up of various experts and always includes at least two representatives from local community action agencies involved in weatherization and affordable housing initiatives to ensure continued focus on supporting our most vulnerable populations. Our work quickly extended to all residential energy efficiency programs, and in the early 2000s, we successfully entered into commercial program administration and implementation. Recognizing access to affordable credit is a common barrier to adopting energy efficiency and renewable energy, WECC added Energy Finance Solutions (EFS) to our portfolio of services in 1996. WECC s financing experts have evolved and diversified financing offers continuously to best meet our clients and their customers needs. WECC s headquarters are located in Madison, Wisconsin. We have served hundreds of clients throughout the United States and currently do business in 14 states. March 20, 2017 Page 2
WECC focuses on three core product lines: energy efficiency and renewable energy program implementation; financing program development and implementation; and residential building science training, certification, and quality assurance. Our services range from program design to capital sourcing; lender management and fund administration; trade ally recruitment management and certification; project development and quality assurance; information/contact center; marketing; education and event management; customer, retailer, and contractor incentive processing; and portfolio, program, and project tracking and reporting. For additional information, please see WECC s website at www.weccusa.org and EFS s website at www.energyfinancesolutions.com. Background on the WECC Brand Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation is the organization s legal name. When the Board of Directors asked the staff to diversify its portfolio, having the word Wisconsin in the name brought concerns when trying to run programs outside of Wisconsin. At that time, it was decided to use the organization s acronym WECC. Although this helps to eliminate hearing the name Wisconsin when introducing the company and its services, people still ask what the acronym stands for. In addition, although EFS falls under the WECC umbrella of management and organizational structure, and is a service of WECC, both teams have branded and marketed themselves separately. Through research conducted in 2016, we understand WECC and EFS each have a strong and recognized brand in the market. We also understand the audience recognizes one brand and may not realize it is related to the other brand. Based on this research and the plan to develop new product lines, WECC wishes to develop an overarching brand to support our current product lines and brand equity, but also allows us to add additional products and services without adding additional services with a separate brand. Scope of Work We seek a partner with a proven track record in brand development and execution to help us: Review current research and brand/name background to recommend a strategy for WECC s overall brand structure. Evaluate whether WECC s current name and acronym support overall portfolio of current programs and services and able to withstand future growth/change in programs/services. Develop a comprehensive brand strategy (including brand architecture) to support current brands and addresses relationships between brands and naming/logo conventions for future programs/services. Support Corporate Communications in developing a strategy to gain organizational consensus. Proposal Requirements When submitting your electronic proposal, please include the following items: Provide a brief description of your firm s structure and capabilities. List all services provided in-house and services provided by any outside consultants, specific to this proposal. If any services are to be provided by outside consultants, please provide a brief description of the firm, its role, and capabilities. March 20, 2017 Page 3
A detailed, comprehensive description of your recommended approach to accomplish the Scope of Work. Provide a detailed fee proposal which outlines the specific activities performed during the brand process. Include hourly rates for key personnel involved in the project. Summary of your firm s brand development experience. Identify the team from your firm who would work on this project and include a brief biography of these team members. Provide a minimum of three client references that have used your professional services for a similar project. Include a contact name, address, phone number, and email address. Proposal Evaluation Proposals are due to WECC by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 24, 2017. Selection criteria are outlined below and will be used to evaluate proposals. WECC will negotiate contract terms with the most qualified vendor. If unsuccessful, WECC will intend to then negotiate with the next most qualified vendor, until reaching satisfactory contractual arrangements. This RFP does not commit WECC to award a contract or to pay any costs incurred in the preparations or submission of proposals. WECC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP and to negotiate with any of the vendors or other firms in any manner deemed to be in the best interest of WECC. Selection of the successful proposal will be made by VEIC based upon the bidder s: Responsiveness to work scope and program needs (35%) Demonstrated experience and expertise in similar projects (35%) Cost effectiveness (20%) Comprehensiveness (10%) Contract Terms All material produced, data collected, and reports generated on behalf of WECC are confidential and become the exclusive property of WECC. The contractor may not share program materials, customer data, industry or program participant contact information, etc. unless explicitly authorized by WECC to do so. March 20, 2017 Page 4
Anticipated Schedule Key Event RFP Release Monday, March 20, 2017 Intent to Bid (Required) Bidders responding to this RFP are requested to send an email to proposals@weccusa.org of their intent to bid. Bidder Questions Due to: proposals@weccusa.org Bidder Q&A Document Bidder Proposal Due to: proposals@weccusa.org Notification of Request for Interview Interviews may or may not be necessary. If they are, we will schedule them the week of May 8, 2017. Notification of Successful Bidder(s) Subject to Negotiations Key Date Monday, March 27, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. CDT Monday, April 3, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. CDT Added to weccusa.org by Friday, April 7, 2017 by 5:00 p.m. CDT Monday, April 24, 2017 by 4:00 p.m. CDT On or before Friday, May 12, 2017 if necessary Friday, May 19, 2017, before close of business (COB) Bidder(s) Accept On or before COB on Friday, May 26, 2017 Project Launch June 1, 2017 March 20, 2017 Page 5